Little Egg Inlet

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Little Egg Inlet is an inlet connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Bay along the southeastern coast of New Jersey, United States. Little Egg Inlet forms a maritime border separating Little Egg Harbor Township in southern Ocean County and Galloway Township in northeastern Atlantic County.

On the morning of August 28, 2011, Tropical Storm Irene made its second U.S. landfall at Brigantine, though initial reports placed it at Little Egg Inlet. At the time it was believed to be the first hurricane to make landfall in New Jersey since 1903, [1] but later analysis by the National Hurricane Center determined that the storm had weakened to tropical storm status by the time it made its second landfall. [2]

On March 3, 2017, the United States Coast Guard has temporarily closed the inlet due to serve shoaling and had removed six out of seven buoys, they had reported that their ship couldn't reach the seventh buoy and had left it there. They have no plan date to put the buoys back. The United States Coast Guard has reported to use the inlet "at your own risk". [3]

As of 2018 the Little Egg Inlet has been dredged, and the buoys replaced.[ citation needed ]

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The effects of Hurricane Irene in New Jersey in 2011 included about $1 billion in damage to 200,000 homes and buildings. This made it the costliest disaster in the state's history, though this was dwarfed by Hurricane Sandy the following year. Irene struck the state on August 28, and was initially reported to be the first hurricane to hit New Jersey since 1903; however, post-analysis downgraded Irene to a tropical storm at its landfall in the Little Egg Inlet.

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References

  1. "Hurricane Irene makes landfall in New Jersey; storm should be gone by mid-afternoon, meteorologist predicts". The Express-Times. 2011-08-28. Retrieved 2011-08-28.
  2. "Tropical Cyclone Report - Hurricane Irene" (PDF). National Hurricane Center. 2011-12-14. Retrieved 2014-09-22. Irene then continued north-northeastward, just offshore of the Delmarva peninsula, and made another landfall very near Atlantic City, New Jersey, at Brigantine Island, at 0935 UTC 28 August. Although Irene’s intensity at the New Jersey landfall was 60 kt, winds of that strength were confined to the waters east of the track of the center.
  3. "Coast Guard warns boaters against using Little Egg Inlet, shoaling cited". Philly.com. 2017-03-03. Retrieved 2017-03-04.

Coordinates: 39°29′53″N74°19′03″W / 39.49806°N 74.31750°W / 39.49806; -74.31750